All You Can't Leave Behind
by Arquellania
Summary: The summer of 2009 would always be remembered as the beginning of the end. Chuck/Blair/Nate/Serena.
1. Prologue

**All You Can't Leave Behind**

**Prologue**

--

**Summary:** The beginning of the end was near. They would each fall into the black.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gossip Girl. If I did, there would be NJBC awesomeness every single damn week. If only…

**AN:** Well, this is something I've had written down in a spiral notebook for a while. Sorry if it's extremely lame, but it's one of those things I wrote in an hour at four in the morning with the light off.

--

The summer of 2009 was meant to be the end of the beginning. After those fateful three months, they would all go and live their own lives. They were separating that letting go of everything that was once important to them.

The summer of 2009 ended up being something far different. It was the beginning of the end.

--

Their fingers were woven through each others in a perfect order. The two dark-haired ones on the left, mysterious and calculating, and the two blondes on the right, liberated and enchanting.

The four best friends had always been an effortless balance. As children, they were drawn together by some magical force. They had grown older and become fools in love; their hearts traveled until they found the person who willingly gave them theirs in exchange. They changed and became distinct puzzle pieces, difficult to find another to fit properly.

Although at times it seemed as if the good times were over and the puzzle was no longer complete, the stubborn magical force brought them together once more and demanded that they fit.

So, for the most part, they fit well.

The winds of change would sweep them off their feet once more and the puzzle pieces would scatter.

The puzzle would be incomplete.

--

As every summer went, they retreated to the Hamptons. They were a routine and anyone on the outside would believe they were a bore, but truthfully, nothing excited the four friends more than tradition. Their friendship had always been a routine. It worked beautifully that way.

They had always been friends first and lovers second, but the heart wants what the heart wants. The two dark beings of the group had captured each other's hearts, and had stirred up something beautifully tragic. They were both identical, like everlasting flames. All they were able to create was a fire. They were dangerous.

The other two, the liberated ones, were once in denial. They boy was trapped and convinced that he belonged with a girl he never really knew; she was dark and everything that he misunderstood. So the enchanting blonde came between them, knowing that they would never be destined for each other.

But the two bright beings would never have their chance. They were a simplistic match, something that clicked from the beginning. But under the circumstances, they would never be.

--

In their eyes, summer lasted forever. Time stopped for the four friends. They breathed in the calm air and took in their last moments of simplicity together.

They were family. Not connected by blood of course, but chosen to be a part of their makeshift family. They did not understand how one could survive alone in the world. The world was a prison without magic. Their friendship contained all the magic that sustained them. They weren't meant to fall apart.

No one but the four friends understood what happened that summer. No one recognized how something so magical evaporated into the dark skies. No one saw the end coming.

It ended on a stretch of endless road; no one else was around to witness the tragedy unfold. There were only four friends packed in a red Ferrari, heading for elsewhere.

The dark beings had kicked and screamed their way into the car; they had fought over something so miniscule that neither would remember what the fight was about the next morning.

And so it was silent in the car for a while. Only the wind made a sound, brushing through the girls' hair.

What was silent soon escalated into screaming once more. The brunette began to take back her feelings, her love, her heart from the boy who attempted to appease her. The other two began to join in, attempting to soften the fall that was obviously coming, but they too began to yell about things that they didn't understand.

They did not see the bright light engulfing them, or hear the loud horn urging them away. They did not recognize that they were not alone in the world.

They heard the loud crunch, felt the shard of glass, and inhaled the smoke, the poison spreading into their lungs. They each invited the black, one by one, and it was silent once again.

--

tbc


	2. Jagged Little Pill

**All You Can't Leave Behind**

**Part One: Jagged Little Pill (Serena)**

--

**Summary:** Serena was a dreamer. She was a summer girl. But what happened after the accident?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gossip Girl. I believe it would be just a bit more depressing if I did.

**AN:** This chapter of the story is a bit close to my heart for a special reason. I don't wish to elaborate at the moment, but I hope you all enjoy it! **Check out the poll on my profile.** **It has to do with what I'm going to start writing after this story is finished. More likely than not, the story chosen and When You Feel are going to be the two stories I write for the rest of the summer. Choose wisely!**

--

When the accident happened, it was during the summer. It was the summer that was going to jump-start the rest of our lives. We were all happier than we had been in years, and as we walked hand in hand to the Hamptons house and our last moments of togetherness, it seemed as if nothing could tear us apart.

Blair and Chuck were dating, and hadn't fought yet, but we were preparing for World War III. Nate and I were scared of the two together; they were a ticking time bomb. We believed that the two were meant for each other, but on that long, winding road to bliss, someone was going to end up hurt.

Chuck bought Nate a red Ferrari, a car he had wanted since we were little kids. He refused to take the gift at first, but Chuck, being the persuasive person that he was, talked him into it. Nate was the only one out of the four of us who had a license; he was tired of the charmed life and wanted some control.

I was just trapped in the fantastic feeling of summer; I felt like a freshman in high school again, dreaming of lazy days in the sun and summer love. I believed that our friendship could withstand anything. I believed that nothing would ever tear us apart.

I never thought that we would end up living our own lives, as if we were each stationed in the four corners of the world, making our friendship impossible. The rift that formed after the accident was a large one; we didn't speak at all. We smiled superficially when we saw each other at dinner parties, and pretended like there was still something that could be salvaged.

If we ever became friends again, our friendship would never be the same. We all blame each other for everything that happened. I can still smell the hospital; it was the smell of fear, blame, contempt.

When the glass shattered and we became the top story on the eleven o' clock news, I suppose we knew that our friendship as we knew it was over.

Chuck and Nate, both in the front seats, were injured pretty badly. Nate's ribs were shattered and his had some head trauma. Chuck was in a coma for a few days; Blair stood by his bedside until he woke up. When his eyes fluttered open, she left without a word.

They were fighting when the accident happened; I don't think any of us remember why. They had said some things that they didn't mean. Their relationship was destroyed. Yes, they both still cared about each other, but they couldn't pick up the pieces again; not after the tumultuous year that they had just experienced.

No one knew what to say, so went without a word to each other. Each of us went to the Hamptons house to collect our things separately, then went on our own way.

That summer, I attempted to find what I needed in those small white pills in my mother's medicine cabinet. Even after I reached the bottom of the first orange container, there was nothing. So I went through a second. I lost count after that.

Towards the end of the summer, when daylight was getting shorter and the night crept on us all, a martini touched my lips, burning them like poison. And down went the pills.

I saw the hideous walls of hospital room once more, but no one was there to comfort me. Of course, there was my brother and my mother, along with people from high school who sent their best wishes with a Hallmark card and a teddy bear, but there was no one else in sight.

When I got home, the white pills were flushed down the toilet, and it was as if summer hadn't come and gone.

I didn't go to college in the fall; I stayed home. Most of my days were spent in my bedroom, flipping through old photo albums. Chuck had moved back to his suite at the Palace over the summer, and Eric joined the soccer team at school.

I was stuck. It was if there was nowhere to go. I never understood why I was so affected by the accident; I was the only one who walked away without as much of a scratch. But I can still hear the four of us screaming in that car. I can still see the white light heading toward us. I can still hear the glass shattering and I can still feel my heart dropping.

Our friendship meant everything to me. Every piece of who I am is because of those three people.

And I don't think I can still keep breathing without them.

--

tbc


	3. Near Destruction

**All You Can't Leave Behind**

**Part Two: Near Destruction (Nate)**

--

**Summary:** Nate desperately needs someone to fix their friendship and himself.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gossip Girl.

**AN:** Sorry this took so long! I was away in Florida. Oh, and since **suspensegirl** brought it up…yes, I listen to depressing music when I write. Lots of instrumentals and slow songs. One song I keep on repeating is Sleep by Azure Ray. You might recognize it if you've seen a certain movie. **Oh, and a question: If I were to write a fic inspired by a novel of some sorts, do you happen to have any ideas? I might have a poll on this later with a list of novels. Anyway, check out the poll I have right now on my profile. Love, Hate, and the In-Between is winning at the moment, but The Games that Play Us isn't too far behind.**

**Dedicated to:** From this point on, all my stories are dedicated to my best friend Angela, who passed away in May. We miss you, Angie.

--

"He's gone. I'm sorry."

That's the first thing I heard when I woke up in my hospital bed. Somehow, as a stared up at the ceiling in my small room, I began to ponder the process of death. Were there certificates to be signed? Did the person leave something behind, a will of some sort?

I didn't have one. Then again, I hadn't died. So it wasn't really something to worry about. Yet, I felt like something had died. Our friendship, perhaps. Everything that had tied us together for years.

Because no one was there waiting for me when I woke up. There were no comforting words from the people that had always been there for me, regardless if I had ever stepped up for them.

Not one of those three people walked through that door.

We had each silently decided that we weren't friends anymore.

And that was it. Nothing would save us.

--

This summer was meant to be filled with firsts. Chuck and Blair were going to attempt to get through their first summer together, Serena was going to try to get through a summer without complications, and I was just trying to get through one summer without my raging hormones getting the better of me.

And for a moment it seemed as if all of those things were possible.

Sure, we fought like brothers and sisters, but we'd always solved our problems. Small fights never escalated into larger ones.

If the accident hadn't happened that day, the fight we had in that car would have been completely irrelevant. A few hours later, it would have been like nothing had happened.

But there I was, lying in a hospital bed, unsure of what had happened to everyone else.

I suddenly noticed a wisp of blond hair in the corner of my eye. I turned to notice that Serena was stopped dead in her tracks. She stood in the doorway.

For a moment, it seemed like there was a hope that we could fix this. Everything would be okay again.

But she just stared. Her eyes were dead and completely emotionless.

She turned and walked away without looking back.

That was when I knew that all those years of friendship meant nothing. All those times when we shared secrets and dusted each other off and refused to let go.

It was as if none of that ever happened. We were still breathing, but we would no longer find that comfort that we always did in our little world.

We were dead to each other.

--

We caught glimpses of each other, but not by choice. Serena was long gone when Blair ran out of a room. Her cheeks were matted with tears, and I desperately wanted it to be like old times, when she'd just cry into my shoulder without an explanation.

She stopped and locked her eyes with mine. Unlike Serena, I could clearly read Blair, who was completely vulnerable. She was heartbroken.

A small tear dribbled down her cheek as she walked away.

I knew she would, but somehow, I wanted her to stay.

I wanted to try to fix her, and I needed her to fix me.

But we just couldn't anymore. There was no power in us left to face the destruction.

There was just nothing left.

--

I was always the weak link in our friendship. I never gave, only took. I always took part in weaving the tangled web, but I was never brave enough to remove the tangles.

I owed them all something. Something more than an apology. They all had given me everything I needed to move on with my life and be someone that my family would be proud of.

And I did just that. I started college, prepared for a political career.

I didn't try to make friends. I didn't socialize. I didn't try to pick up girls.

I never spoke about the accident. I never mentioned my three best friends or answered the constant questioning about why we weren't friends anymore.

No outsider would ever understand why the accident changed things.

In a way, the accident took four lives. We weren't the same people anymore.

--

tbc


	4. It Matters

**All You Can't Leave Behind**

**Part Three: It Matters (Chuck)**

--

**Summary:** Chuck is left wondering about a relationship that could have lasted.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gossip Girl or the new surfboards they just got.

**AN:** Here's Part Three! Just a heads up: I'm going back to Florida in less than two weeks, and more likely than not, I'm leaving my laptop. I won't be back until the beginning of September. I'll try to write as much as I can before I leave! **Vote on the poll on my profile, please! Love, Hate, and the In-Between is winning, but A City of Dust is only two votes behind. More likely than not, the story that's chosen will be written after summer ends.**

--

I can't piece together memories of the accident like the others could.

I don't remember the feeling of glass from the windshield clawing at me. I don't remember anything about the very thing that tore us apart.

"I hate you, Chuck Bass."

Those are the last words I remember.

I don't remember what we fought about. I can still hear the meaningless screaming, still recognize how stubborn we were. I remember I forgot to tell her I loved her that day.

But it's so incredibly idiotic to not remember what we fought about.

It was for nothing, all of it. One stupid little fight caused this accident.

You can't help but blame yourself in a situation like this. If you hadn't said that one little thing to piss your girlfriend off, hadn't pushed the wrong buttons, hadn't deliberately caused an argument to escalate, you would still have your best friends.

You would still have your girlfriend.

But I don't have any of that.

--

They told me later that I was out for a few days. It's funny, that feeling like you missed nothing, and then realizing that you missed so much time in your life. The time you could have used to apologize.

She was by my bedside when I woke up. And I almost smiled, thinking she had crawled back to me, thinking that I had finally won an argument.

But she wasn't smiling. She wasn't even remotely excited that I had woken up.

She just stared for a few moments. So I stared back. I examined the small cuts on her face, noticed the cast on her left arm.

She didn't say one word to me. She just rose, turned, and walked away, like it was the easiest thing in the world.

I perfected that move. Turning my back on someone in need. I've done it to her more than once, but I never expected her to use that cruel trick on me.

It was stupid of me to think that she would come back. I desperately wanted her not to be like me. I wanted her to forgive me for that small argument.

It's funny how something so small can escalate until someone's heart is shattered.

You honestly don't know what you have until it's gone.

--

You'd think a girl you only dated for a few weeks wouldn't matter so much.

But over the next year, I replayed that scene in my head. I continuously saw her turn her back on me and walk away.

It was always so easy to do it to someone else. But when it's done to you, you can't help but wonder how difficult it was to just give up.

I blew our first chance to actually have something that could last.

It only took a few weeks.

--

We all stayed in the city. It was somehow fated to be that way. We had to look each other in the eye and see everything that we had lost. We had to face each other, knowing that nothing would ever be the same again. They all talked about us in hushed tones, about ties that were severed so quickly and cruelly that no one saw it coming.

I moved back into my suite and began to learn what it was like to be alone. I wasn't able to live up to my reputation. I didn't want contact I paid for.

I worked late hours and drowned myself in work. All my older, more experienced employees hung around the offices because they didn't want to go home to their nagging wives and children in sugar comas.

I stayed around because there was nothing to go home to. I didn't understand how someone could be so unhappy with a stable life. How you could cheat on your gorgeous wife with the intern of the week or abandon your kids, who were too young to remember it even happened.

I judged them for leaving other lives in shambles for their own benefit, until I realized they were just walking away from something that was too complicated.

A long time ago, I did the same thing. Now, all I wanted was to feel loved like I had been a year ago. I wanted their friendship and their trust back. I wanted to hold her hand again; I felt like I didn't cherish all those moments with her because I thought we would last longer. I wanted to redo the last year and make sure the accident never happened.

I wanted something genuine. Everything that was real was gone.

I saw her more often than the others. She never smiled when she caught my eye. She only lingered for a few moments. And during those moments, I could remember when I was afraid to tell her I loved her, all those times I let her slip away. I regretted waiting so long to finally confess my feelings. We never say anything to each other because we know it would be painful. I still love her the same way I did a year ago, but that doesn't matter anymore.

Without words, we are left to ponder what could have been.

And that is the worst punishment possible.

--

tbc


	5. Walk Away

**All You Can't Leave Behind**

**Part Four: Walk Away (Blair)**

--

**Summary:** Walking away just starts with taking one step forward. It's easy enough after that.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gossip Girl, including what I'm hoping will be an amazing third season.

**AN:** Hey everyone! Sorry for taking so long with this update. I'm on vacation right now and things are a little hectic. Plus, I'm planning a wedding, and…it's a bit busy. But the epilogue is coming, and after that, this story will be over. Sad, I know. Anyway, you should check my profile. There are three new summaries under the "Coming Soon" category. **Also, I need someone to help me out with some plot outlines for When You Feel, Love, Hate, and the In-Between, Drowning, and some other stories I'm working on. So, if you can help me out, that would be much appreciated.**

--

The accident didn't change the way I loved my best friends.

It just changed the way we saw each other.

We had experienced everything together. Kindergarden, high school, first love, _real_ love. We may have been distant at times, but we were never hesitant when it came to taking care of each other.

Whenever one of us slipped through the cracks, we pulled them out. Our relationship was always about give and take.

The accident was different. We all slipped through the cracks.

We were too lost, too deep in our own problems, to survive the wreckage together.

So we didn't even try. There was nothing left to save.

We stood there as everything went up in flames.

We didn't add fuel to the fire. We just watched.

And once it was done, we walked away.

--

Two summers ago, I fell in love.

Real, honest to God love. The type that could never be replaced or disappear.

And it was difficult. _He_ was difficult. And he broke my heart more than once.

But last summer was supposed to be about us. Together. Finally. And for a few moments, it seemed as if we would actually survive.

That summer was supposed to start everything for us.

We obviously didn't have a decent track record. Even Nate and Serena were cautious. We had been destructive in the past. That wouldn't really ever change.

But that summer was supposed to be different. We were supposed to hold hands and go to the movies.

We were supposed to be normal in our own convoluted way.

It just never worked out for us.

--

The fight we had before the accident is vague and unimportant in my mind. It was just a lot of yelling, something we'd always been good at.

We always say things we don't mean. But we always have the chance to take them back.

I couldn't look him in the eye after the accident. He had been hurt the worst, remaining in a peaceful slumber for days.

So I stayed with him. He wasn't awake and we didn't have to talk.

I had nothing to say to him.

It wasn't that I didn't love him anymore. I did, but somehow, it wasn't enough anymore.

After a year of fighting over those three words, they were just something that fell off the tongue now. Something completely insignificant that couldn't save us anymore.

But that's all I whispered to him while he lay in his hospital bed. I wanted to hold onto the hope that it would all be okay.

It was just different now. We couldn't go back.

But I stayed until he woke up. Because there was no place I'd rather be.

--

There is no way to describe the sense of relief that washed over me when his eyes fluttered open.

And then my heart dropped. Because he was looking at me, searching for something familiar. We had always been the same people, in sync, always knowing what the other was thinking.

But that tie was severed. There was just something unknown in his eyes, something I couldn't describe.

Suddenly I realized why he had walked away all those times before. I understood why he abandoned everything that was unfamiliar.

It was terrifying, just staring into his eyes. I had known him for all my life, and it was if all my memories of him were erased. Like we didn't have that connection we'd always had, something that had been there before the romance.

I stood up and turned away from him. Once I took that first step, I knew our lives would be lived separately. We would cross paths, but never speak to each other. Never exchange smirks or witty comebacks.

It bothered me to know how easy walking away was.

--

The city was a prison over the next year. We were all trapped in it, something completely ill-fated.

We each took our separate paths, went our own separate ways. There was college and parties and things that just passed by like a blur; freshman year was over within the blink of an eye and for that I was glad. The end of the school year meant that summer had come upon us again.

We all loved summer. We always would.

--

tbc


	6. Epilogue

**All You Can't Leave Behind**

**Epilogue**

--

**Summary:** The year is over. Now it's time to truly see if this friendship was meant to survive.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gossip Girl or any of the stupid storylines in Season 3 that I've heard about.

**AN:** And that's all she wrote! This was my first purely NJBC fic, and I really enjoyed writing it. There is another NJBC fic I'm working on called **What It All Means**. A short summary is on my profile under the "Coming Soon" category. Fair warning, though: It WILL be sad. So, I hope you enjoy the epilogue and how this story ends (or begins, really).

--

One year after a friendship was shattered, four people went on their separate paths towards the place where it all ended. A house that was lonely and empty, as it always was for three seasons of the year.

An entire year had gone by. Four people who had always lived in harmony together began to live four separate lives. They tried to forget.

They soon learned that forgetting was simply impossible.

So they pretended as if they didn't care. It was as if nearly a decade of friendship turned to dust.

So there were merely looks shared. Eyes examining what each person had become, what they had faded into, the shadow of their former selves.

Just looks.

Between those who were complete opposites.

--

"_Are you ready for your first official boy-free summer?" Blair challenged Serena as she sipped her first martini of many that summer. "No Carter, no Dan, no pool boy. Although you never do survive one summer without at least a simple meaningless fling." She smirked._

"_Are you ready for your first official summer with Chuck?" Serena countered. "I'm still not used to this. I mean, Chuck being a lovesick puppy and all."_

_The brunette rolled her eyes. "We're just trying to survive this summer, S," She lowered her gaze. "You of all people know that we don't have the best track record."_

_Serena reached out for Blair's hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "You two will make it. I know it."_

"_What would I do without you?"_

"_Well, I promise that you'll never have to find out."_

--

"_So, Blair," Nate mused. "She's got you on a short leash."_

"_Nathaniel, you have to understand," Chuck muttered. "If I don't do what she asks, she gives me _that_ look. That 'we're never having sex again' look. Do you know what it's like to have that on your shoulders?"_

"_I didn't say it was a bad thing, man," The blonde laughed. "It's just…I'm not used to seeing you this way."_

"_It's not like I've changed. I'm still the same person…Just with someone on my arm that I'm planning to keep."_

"_But she's done something. I just can't really describe it."_

"_If you're going to say I'm _whipped_, that's completely untrue."_

"_No, it's just…" Nate sighed. "You're happier than you've been in a long time."_

"_I'm just hoping she is too."_

"_She only wants you. That's not going to change."_

--

Between those who were family.

--

"_Blair never stops talking about you!" Serena threw herself on her bed. "It's worse than last summer, when all she ever talked about was her plans to castrate you."_

_Chuck shuddered at the thought for a moment. "I must be an interesting topic of discussion."_

"_Hardly," Serena sat up. "Whatever she mentions about you these days just sets off my gag reflex."_

"_What can I say? Lately, Blair's been all for…trying new things."_

"_Ugh! That is exactly the kind of stuff that I do _not_ need to hear. I'm your sister! She's my best friend! The images in my head…"_

"_You think about us?" He drawled. "Kinky."_

_Serena smacked him with a pillow._

"_Just…Don't break her heart." Her tone suddenly became serious. "She's counting on you."_

"_I don't have any intentions to hurt her, sis."_

"_Promise?"_

"_Cross my heart."_

--

Between those who had always been.

--

"_You made breakfast?" Blair walked into the kitchen cautiously. "Since when does Nate Archibald cook?"_

"_I tend to watch the Food Network when I can't sleep." Blair just stared at him. "What? There's nothing else on TV at four in the morning!"_

"_Ew," She scrunched her nose. "Chocolate chip pancakes covered in strawberry syrup. The only person I know who likes this is…" Her eyes grew wide._

"_Blair, it's not what you think-"_

"_You _like_ her!" Blair squealed. She clapped her hands together in satisfaction as Nate turned bright red._

"_I do not!" Nate weakly defended himself. "I just thought I'd do something nice for her."_

"_Like cook her favorite breakfast, something that only she likes?" Blair snorted. "That's not obvious at all."_

_Nate sighed. "Don't tell her, okay?"_

"_I won't," Blair smiled. "But you should. Before she gets caught up in one of her summer flings." She turned and started to walk back into her bedroom. "Oh, and while you're at it, make some eggs."_

--

Between those who would never be.

--

"_Natie!" A soaked Serena tackled the confused blonde. "Come and jump into the pool with me!"_

_Nate examined his now wrinkled and wet clothes. "I don't have a bathing suit on."_

"_It doesn't matter!" She laughed. "It'll be fun, I promise."_

_He was hesitant. Serena tugged on his arm._

_She gave him _that_ look. The one no one could resist. "Please? With cherries and whipped cream on top?"_

_He gave in, as anyone would. She clumsily led him to the pool, the hand now tightly wrapped in his._

"_Ready?" He nodded. "One, two, three!"_

_And they jumped into the water, a cluster of limbs and giggles._

_She gave him _that_ smile. The one that he had been in love with since he was five._

"_I love summer," Serena said softly. "It's just…different, you know?"_

_He nodded, because he did know. The atmosphere during summertime had always been different._

_She was just looking at him now. Giving him that sweet, innocent look, the one only reserved for girls who hadn't grown up just yet._

_He was staring at her lips. Her gorgeous lips._

_Only inches between them. Only inches._

_And it was growing shorter. Closer…_

"_Serena!" A shriek came from inside the house._

"_That's my cue," Serena shrugged, as if she hadn't almost kissed him. "Thanks for jumping with me."_

"_Anytime," He offered. And he meant it._

_She gave him a kiss on the cheek and lifted herself out of the pool._

_Nate moved his fingers through his hair and sighed. Maybe it was best to just give up._

--

Between those who almost were.

--

"_You smell really good," Blair whispered in between kisses. She was propped up on the kitchen counter._

"_As do you," Chuck added. "I'm glad that you didn't change your signature scent."_

"_Well, I'd rather have Charlize Theron than smell like desperation."_

_He chuckled a bit at their silly squabbles of the past. While the past year hadn't been a waste, it could have been less difficult if they hadn't been so stubborn._

"_I love you."_

_Blair rolled her eyes playfully. "Believe me, I know. You've told me a few dozen times."_

"_So it's just worthless now?"_

"_I didn't say that," She chortled. "It's just…normal now."_

"_Normal," he echoed._

"_Exactly."_

"_We're never going to be normal, Waldorf," He reminded her._

"_But we can try!" She reasoned._

"_I like us as we are, Waldorf. We're always going to be different."_

_She ran his fingers through his hair. "I had to choose you, didn't I?"_

"_Of course. I'm absolutely irresistible."_

"_Can't argue with that." She pressed her lips against his once more._

--

Four people stood in front of the house where it was meant to all begin, not end.

And so they all silently prayed for that magical force to be at work again. To fix this. To replace all hopelessness with simple hope.

Just maybe, something was still there.

They all held on to that hope of _someday_. And that wishful thinking of _right now_.

They had to try.

So, once again, in perfect order, the two dark-haired ones on the left, the two blondes on the right, their hands intertwined. And it fit just like it did a year ago. They would always fit.

Four _friends_ stood in front of that house and stared into the new summer.

--

fin


End file.
